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Brought home a Boxford Mk2 yesterday!
- Thread starter ghostdncr
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- Feb 9, 2017
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My condolences about your clapper box. And having just gone through a 7b shaper I know all about trying to figure out how something as complicated as shaper comes apart by a parts blowup. I only messed up one screw not knowing there was a set screw not shown on the diagram. I feel it was just dumb luck on my part.
It's hard to see by your photo, but it looks like a good chunk of the side of the box is still intact inside of where the set screw was. I'm no engineer, but I am a welder. And I'd braze that outer part back up in a heartbeat and never think twice. From what I gather of the shaper the real stress is in the power stroke and that part is just the hinge for return clapper.
The first thing we had to do in welding class was take two flat pieces of steel and v grind them then braze them together. Then take it to the press and with the braze down, bend the plate to a perfect U shape. Mine held and it taught me brazing is not soldering, done right it is really strong.
The motor belt guard on my 7b was obviously broken off which broke the cast iron mount where it was supposed to go. Rather than buy the whole oil tray it is part of, I built up braze to replicate the missing chunk and ground it down to shape. Then re drilled the hole. Granted, it's not as crucial a part of the clapper box, but I would bet it would make it so you could use your shaper to make another clapper box. Just my 2c.
It's hard to see by your photo, but it looks like a good chunk of the side of the box is still intact inside of where the set screw was. I'm no engineer, but I am a welder. And I'd braze that outer part back up in a heartbeat and never think twice. From what I gather of the shaper the real stress is in the power stroke and that part is just the hinge for return clapper.
The first thing we had to do in welding class was take two flat pieces of steel and v grind them then braze them together. Then take it to the press and with the braze down, bend the plate to a perfect U shape. Mine held and it taught me brazing is not soldering, done right it is really strong.
The motor belt guard on my 7b was obviously broken off which broke the cast iron mount where it was supposed to go. Rather than buy the whole oil tray it is part of, I built up braze to replicate the missing chunk and ground it down to shape. Then re drilled the hole. Granted, it's not as crucial a part of the clapper box, but I would bet it would make it so you could use your shaper to make another clapper box. Just my 2c.
After several of you guys suggested it, I'm fishing around right now for someone who might be able to handle the brazing. I live in a fairly large city and most of the shops I've contacted will build an iron fence around a five-acre estate or fabricate a three-story spiral staircase, but have no time for my little repair. That whole farm shop mentality doesn't seem to exist here in town. One of my country friends thinks his friend knows a guy whose second cousin's uncle's brother-in-law does stuff like this, so he's trying to get a name and number for me.
I finally finished cleaning up the ram last night and slid it back into the base to see how things felt now that they're clean and freshly oiled. I didn't fine tune the gib, but things felt silky. I'm going to let that sit for now and move on to cleaning some other component...
I finally finished cleaning up the ram last night and slid it back into the base to see how things felt now that they're clean and freshly oiled. I didn't fine tune the gib, but things felt silky. I'm going to let that sit for now and move on to cleaning some other component...
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- Feb 9, 2017
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You might be looking in the wrong place as commercial welding shops. And yeah, oxy-acetylene welding is turning into a lost art along with brazing. Personally I love to do both and it was a fun project to build up that mount on the oil tray. I'd never done that before, only using it weld up cast iron parts before.
Have you tried like a bicycle frame builder or metal artist? Brazing bike cro-moly frames have made a comeback so there might be somebody who could do it. I know an artist in Lousiville and I was needing to touch base anyway and I asked him if he could do something like that or knows somebody. If he gives me any leads I'll let you know.
Good luck.
Have you tried like a bicycle frame builder or metal artist? Brazing bike cro-moly frames have made a comeback so there might be somebody who could do it. I know an artist in Lousiville and I was needing to touch base anyway and I asked him if he could do something like that or knows somebody. If he gives me any leads I'll let you know.
Good luck.
There are several welding process and directions to take in doing the repair especially if you plan on using the repaired part long enough to make a new part. If I were welding it I would go with a nickel rod (as a permanent repair) as a first choice, TIG weld it up with silicon bronze as a second choice and braze it up as a last choice. If you have the room/clearance where the part is located, just fasten (drill and tap) a piece of bar stock on the side to limp through to the next step. In the mean time; As you get it installed a replacement will show up on EBay.
The problem in most shops is finding someone (employee) who can move between projects without two hours of instruction. I get the question; Do you do jobs this small? I work by the hour, so they're all small jobs. You get a quote, I get a deposit and there's no surprises later.
- Joined
- Mar 19, 2017
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If you nickel rod tig weld that part upThere are several welding process and directions to take in doing the repair especially if you plan on using the repaired part long enough to make a new part. If I were welding it I would go with a nickel rod (as a permanent repair) as a first choice, TIG weld it up with silicon bronze as a second choice and braze it up as a last choice. If you have the room/clearance where the part is located, just fasten (drill and tap) a piece of bar stock on the side to limp through to the next step. In the mean time; As you get it installed a replacement will show up on EBay.
The problem in most shops is finding someone (employee) who can move between projects without two hours of instruction. I get the question; Do you do jobs this small? I work by the hour, so they're all small jobs. You get a quote, I get a deposit and there's no surprises later.
You will never get the taper pin reamed back right.
Sure it will holed good but you are going to wind up with a very hard glaze seam Right where your cracked off piece is and it is right through
That taper hole .
You are going to have to brake that cast iron with
A Yellow brass none fluxed brazing rod .
And buy your brazing flux in a dry powder can
It is Peterson brazing flux . It is a blue dry powder
Flux in a one lb. Can the brazing rod is solid brass slick no flux on the rod .
You will heat the tip of that rod and dip it into the can of flux it flux will stick to the end of the rod
Then you will keep doing that as long as you are brazing the first pass .
Clean all of the hardened flux before starting the next pass you do this until you finish .
Then you can machine , drill and tap , and bore , and ream your taper hole without any trouble.
The Yellow brass brazing in this way is by far the very best way to repair the Broken clapper box .
Bar None .
You are going to have to buy the reamer also
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Nickel rod is great stuff for welding cast iron, but it wouldn't do very well in this application. I've already got the taper pin reamer and I was hoping to have it in good condition AFTER completing this job! Brass brazing is likely the best way to approach this, except for one minor detail. In cleaning up the clapper box and the broken-off ear, I found the ear to be cracked in two other places that all let go during the cleaning process. The damaged part is now three damaged parts and I've yet been able to get them set into place where everything is closely aligned. Never mind seeing how to V several of those tiny surfaces sufficiently for the filler rod. I'm leaning strongly back toward the insert repair I discussed earlier.
If it ain't one thing, it's another, right?
I would TIG weld it up with silicon bronze which has a tensile strength of something around 60k+. It's quick, easy and fast. I would consider TIG or SMAW (stick) nickel filler metal also. I would preheat in any of the choices and all the processes produce good machinable welds. On problem with machining is what may flow out of the cast iron when welding and end up in the weld metal. The same problem exists when you machine cast iron.....SUPRISE! and the cutter is dull or breaks.
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The insert is a good repair and without seeing the additional broken pieces it's difficult to choose a direction on the remaining repairs. Your initial photo showing the hole for the tapered pin indicates you still have about 2/3 of the original hole circumfrence remaining which is still a lot of strength. I would begin with a v-groove on the top where the set screw hole is and weld it in place. Then vee the side (outside) and weld it up. I usually do these as a step by step process in order to clamp the pieces together as accurately as possible along the fracture lines and continue with a die grinder to vee if needed.
Never is a Looooooong time.